History Main / HellishCopter

* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' is quite infamous for this. The only safe helicopters are the ones at the end of the games.
** In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' a helicopter trying to rescue an officer from a rooftop ends up being shot down by that same officer when he's swarmed by zombies.
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'' uses this as a cruel HopeSpot prior to the first mandatory battle against Nemesis. The titular creature demonstrates his terrifying intelligence by shooting the helicopter down with a rocket launcher, prior to attacking Jill in the courtyard.

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* ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'': Police helicopters more or less just exist to explode every second episode. FastKarateForTheGentleman eventually proposed that "I'm going in for a closer look!" is in fact AD Police code for "Tell my family I love them."

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* ''Film/FireBirds'' has this happen to Preston (in a flight simulator) colliding with a set of powerlines after he becomes disoriented due to his inability to adapt to the Apache's monocle display.
* Not a literal example as it hadn't taken off yet, but in ''Film/{{Jaws 2}}'' the shark takes out a helicopter by biting one of its floats. The chopper tilts over and the rotor blades hitting the water disintegrate spectacularly.
* ''Jaws'' [[FollowTheLeader rip-off]] ''Film/{{Grizzly}}'' had the titular bruin attack and badly damage the protagonists' helicopter at the end.

* ''Film/Derailed20002'': When Cole tries to escape from the train by being picked up by a helicopter, Jacques clips the ladder from the helicopter to the roof of the train. Unable to disengage, the helicopter is dragged into the side of a mountain as the train passes through a tunnel; exploding in a fireball.

* Subject of a brief gag in the Cuban ZombieApocalypse film ''Film/JuanOfTheDead'': The heroes see a helicopter flying in, [[TemptingFate one of them voices out loud his hopes that it will rescue them]], and the chopper immediately plows into the side of a building.
* The helicopter in ''Film/TheLifeAquaticWithSteveZissou''; its poor maintenance is something of a ChekhovsGun.

* ''Film/TheOtherGuys'': A helicopter gets taken out by a volley of ''[[LethalJokeCharacter golf balls]]''.

* ''Film/EdgeOfTomorrow''. Rita and Cage find a helicopter with fuel, but can't find the keys. Eventually Rita realises that Cage has the keys in his pocket, but is stalling because, thanks to the GroundhogDayLoop, he knows that [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption Rita always dies when they take off in the helicopter]]. She forces the keys off him and takes off in the helicopter herself, only to die when a nearby alien attacks it. Being forced to watch this causes the hero to undergo a HeroicBSOD.
* Tom Newcliffe's helicopter comes to a bad, bad end in ''Film/TheBeastMustDie''.
* ''Film/MacheteKills''. Machete is flying to safety when his helicopter is damaged by mooks in a powerboat. He leaps into the boat then, as the unmanned chopper spins wildly out of control overhead, fires a harpoon into it, attaching the other end to a mook who's pulled into the air and the rotor blades -- the mook gets [[CruelAndUnusualDeath shredded, then blown up with the helicopter]].
* ''Film/JurassicWorld'': An attempt is made to kill the ''Indominus rex'' using a helicopter with a door-mounted minigun. [[spoiler:''Indominus'' breaks open the aviary, letting hundreds of ''Pteranodons'' and other flying reptiles loose. They swarm the copter, causing it to fly out of control and veer into the aviary dome, smashing through the glass and crashing and exploding quite impressively.]]
* Pretty much every chopper in ''Film/BrokenArrow1996'' either crashes or gets blown up (or both).
* At the end of the first act of ''Film/PoliceStory 4: First Strike'', Jackie grabs onto a helicopter, only for it to get blown up by an RPG.

* ''Series/{{ER}}'': At the helipad on the hospital roof, [[spoiler:Dr. Romano]] comes a little too close to the tail rotor and loses an arm. For months after that, he avoids the things by hiding out in the ambulance bay when they land, but in the season finale [[spoiler: [[{{Irony}} the same helicopter]] loses control, falls off the roof, and crushes him to death.]]
* Dont't get into an air ambulance in ''Series/{{Casualty}}'' (if you are given the choice). In real life they are common enough that people get to know where they are likely to land, but they've shown up twice in this show... and crashed both times, spectacularly in the last case.

* UNSC Pelicans in ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' time and time again get shot down by the Covenant, usually killing everyone inside (except you).
** ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' has a more literal example in the level ''Tip of The Spear''. Towards the end, after taking out the second anti-air gun, a Falcon helicopter carries you and Jorge-052 to the [[MacGuffin Covenant spire]]. Upon passing through the [[DeflectorShields domed energy shield]] that protects the spire, the aircraft loses power and crashes, with Jorge and the player being the only survivors. The crash is viewed in first person.
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' is quite infamous for this. The only safe helicopters are the ones at the end of the games.
** In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' a helicopter trying to rescue an officer from a rooftop ends up being shot down by that same officer when he's swarmed by zombies.
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'' uses this as a cruel HopeSpot prior to the first mandatory battle against Nemesis. The titular creature demonstrates his terrifying intelligence by shooting the helicopter down with a rocket launcher, prior to attacking Jill in the courtyard.
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' does this not once, but ''twice''! The first helicopter is shot down off-screen, stranding Leon and Ashley for the foreseeable future. Later in the game, TheCavalry arrives to provide aerial support through the next section of the game. Leon (and the player) have just long enough to become attached to Mike the helicopter pilot, when he's blown up with a rocket launcher by Saddler's goons.
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'' continues the terrible luck with helicopters. Jake and Sherry are attacked while leaving the combat zone via helicopter, forcing them into a brutal fight that ends with them bailing out over the mountains. And a helicopter is one of ''many'' modes of transportation that Leon [[CaptainCrash crashes]] over the course of his campaign.

* ''[[VideoGame/SimCity SimCopter]]'' is all about this. Stock up on a LOT of choppers, because you'll burn your way through nearly all of them. A quick and dirty way to lose the game is to use the "[[UsefulNotes/NuclearWeapons RADIOACTIVITY]]" cheat. [[VideogameCrueltyPotential Fun stuff]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Spyborgs}}'' has your MissionControl, Vox, radioing in a Chinook transport to pick you up in the helipad. You fight through legions of enemy mechs to reach the helipad, where the Chinook is waiting... only for the stage's boss, a KillerRobot, to suddenly clumb up and destroy said Chinook in a cutscene three seconds later.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': At the end of the first campaign, "No Mercy", the survivors get on a helicopter to escape a hospital rooftop. All seems fine, until the pilot turns into a zombie, forcing Zoey to shoot him, whereupon it crash lands in the industrial county seen in "Crash Course". The exact same thing happens in the sequel at the end of "Dark Carnival": the helicopter pilot turns mid-flight, Nick shoots him dead, and the unmanned helicopter crashes at the entrance to the marshland where "Swamp Fever" takes place.
* ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}''
** The game either has Alex shooting things at the helicopter to take it down (which includes [[GrievousHarmWithABody people]]), or him ''flying'' to the chopper, ripping it up to remove the pilot (if not invading and [[IAmAHumanitarian devouring him]]), and hijacking the thing. [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Crashing it later is optional]]. Alternately, you can just [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/6/19/ jumpkick the chopper out of the air.]]
** It's worth noting that helicopters are [[GameBreaker game breakers]] when the player is in one, and you can fly around destroying military bases and hives almost unchallenged in one. Apparently the military could easily kill Alex and wipe out the infected if only their pilots could learn to fly more than thirty feet above the ground.
* This is actually [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in LetsPlay/Helloween4545's LetsPlay of ''VideoGame/{{Singularity}}''. After his helicopter is brought down by an EMP, he hypothesizes that a helicopter in a video game has an 80% chance of going down and characters on it dying.

* In ''VideoGame/AlanWake'', helicopters get downed twice by birds being controlled by [[EldritchAbomination the Dark Presence]], rendering them invulnerable to conventional weapons and enabling them to do horrendous damage.
* ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe''. The second mini boss you face in the 1st level is a Black Thunder Helicopter. Upon being killed flies out of control, crashes, and explodes in to large V points (this game's currency).

* Whenever a helicopter appears in any of the ''[[VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon F.E.A.R.]]'' games, it is almost certain to go down. It gets especially brutal by the third game in the series, where Alma's [[PersonOfMassDestruction "contractions"]] are accompanied by massive red pulses of energy that swat helicopters out of sky, rip apart the earth, and knock over buildings. The only point in the entire series where a helicopter didn't get shot down or otherwise savaged by enemy fire was the intro to the first game's second level, and the ending to the ''Perseus Mandate'' expansion.

* At the beginning of ''VideoGame/{{Winback}}: Covert Operations'', the SCAT team's insertion chopper loses control and explodes. Later revealed to be deliberate sabotage by [[TheMole your traitorous C.O.]] Dan, who was [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat apparently still inside the chopper when it exploded]].

* In ''VideoGame/DoubleDragonNeon'', after defeating the Giant Tank, the Killacopter inexplicably explodes and crashes into the tank, completely destroying it.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Broforce}}'', you get picked up by helicopter at the end of every level. Certain bros (ones with special attacks that shoot up or do a lot of {{splash damage}}) can actually shoot it down, at which point an identical chopper will show up a few seconds later.
* ''VideoGame/ZombiesRun'' starts with your helicopter being shot down. There is another helicopter crash early in season 3 too, but that's due to mechanical failure.

* ''VideoGame/JustCause'': You can literally daisy-chain helicopter hijackings with your GrapplingHookPistol, or shoot them down with assault rifles and revolvers, plus the game [[CaptainCrash doesn't really encourage landing the aircraft you use]] -- so if you as much as spot a helicopter, chances are it's going down through your effort.
* In ''VideoGame/Fallout4'', Brotherhood of Steel Vertibirds seem to exist in only three states: crashed, in the process of crashing (which happens instantly if you [[SnipingTheCockpit snipe the pilot]]), and about to start crashing. For added "fun", when crashing they'll automatically home in on you regardless of how you move.
* In the classic ''VideoGame/{{Choplifter}},'' the player's chopper crashes if it gets shot once, or even grazes the ground.

* Happens twice in ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter: The Omega Strain''. First, while on the way to Belaya Vezha, you are forced to bail from the insertion chopper and recover your gear from the crash site. Then during the Lorelei Salvage Rig mission, Crusher's chopper is shot down by Meta Global gunships and crashes into the rig, destroying the upper deck and [[SinkingShipScenario causing the structure to take on water]].
* ''VideoGame/EmpireEarthII'': Helicopters are extremely fragile and tend to go down in a single hit from dedicated AntiAir and not much slower against heavy infantry (who use machine guns and assault rifles). However, it reaches RockBeatsLaser extremes in a prehistoric/future matchup, where the heavy infantry of the era (using maces, swords, and spears) are ''still'' able to attack a chopper's shadow and bring it down, while light infantry (archers, who later evolve into mortars) are unable to target them.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'', during the Shinra assault on the Sector 7 pillar, no fewer than ''three'' helicopters happen to crash in the slums and explode, blocking Aerith's path to the Seventh Heaven bar. Much later in the game, the Avalanche helicopter sent to rescue Cloud and company from the Shinra HQ gets suddenly shot down by Rufus's helicopter.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV'':
** At the end of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVGroundZeroes'', Snake's extraction helicopter Morpho ends up getting destroyed when an explosion [[spoiler:from a bomb planted inside of Paz]] sends it spinning out of control, causing it to crash into a pursuing XOF chopper.
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' has two doomed helicopters in the prologue; one gets destroyed by the Man on Fire, while another gets eaten by [[MindScrew the apparition of a flaming whale]]. Later on, Snake's extraction helicopter, now codenamed Peqoud, is brought down during "Metallic Archaea" by the titular organisms.
** In both titles, you can end up invoking this during gameplay by calling your extraction helicopter to hover over enemy territory, which guarantees it'll get shot down by rockets or anti-aircraft fire unless (if you're playing ''The Phantom Pain'') you've invested in upgrades to the helicopter's armor or weaponry.
* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' begins InMediasRes with Walker and his squad pursued by a group of enemy choppers, which Walker shoots down one after another with a mounted minigun. One of them ends up colliding with Walker's helicopter, causing it to crash.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* The AltText for [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/23p84/ this]] ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' comic lampshades the prevalence of this trope, especially in this comic with "Helicopters only exist in this comic to get exploded. They serve no other purpose."

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Helicopter traffic reporter Arnie Pye has crashed at least twice; both times he [[UnexplainedRecovery came back uninjured]], even though the first time it was implied he died. "Tell my wife I love..."
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': A traffic reporter reports on his own helicopter crashing.
-->'''Jim:''' I have just been informed that my last words were... "back to you, Linda". ''[BOOM!]''\\
'''Morbo''': '''I HATED JIM!''' In other news...

* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'', Batman takes out a helicopter using an EMP-loaded rocket, and then [[InvertedTrope prevents the thing from crashing]] using cables and with the help of Nightwing and a giant staple gun. ItMakesSenseInContext.
* Seen in the ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'' episode "The Horrible Herd" where a helicopter blows up, probably because the producers [[StuffBlowingUp seem to love explosions]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAssaultOnArkham'', the Joker and Deadshot end up fighting over a helicopter (which [[ConflictBall would have been perfectly adequate for all the villains if they'd been willing to share]]) while Harley Quinn (who has no idea what she's doing) pilots the thing. Naturally, they end up crashing into the side of a skyscraper. Though the chopper doesn't actually blow up until it (eventually) falls off the building with the Joker still inside and smashes into the street below. (And of course he [[JokerImmunity doesn't die]].)

This trope is about that prevalent tendency of helicopters crashing in various media, as well as in situations where a helicopter crash wouldn't necessarily be expected. If a military chopper in a warzone gets hit by a rocket launcher and goes down, that's less of this and more of a ShortLivedAerialEscape--but if half a dozen helicopters get shot down in the same movie, it's probably a textbook case of this trope. If a giant monster smacks the 'copter out of the sky, it's a HelicopterFlyswatter. If a military chopper collides with another aircraft or power lines or something due to remarkably bad luck, then it's this trope. If the chopper goes down because DangerTakesABackseat, it's this trope regardless of it being a military chopper in a warzone or not. If it's a police or news chopper getting blown up by a rocket launcher over downtown Los Angeles, it's both this trope and ShortLivedAerialEscape[[note]]And for the news chopper, DeadlineNews as well[[/note]], as you'd never really expect that sort of thing to happen.

* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'': Under the original rules, [=VTOLs=] were horrifically fragile units that tended to die horribly the first time they got shot. Under the current rules, they're still horrifically fragile units but they tend to die after being shot two or three times.

* In Episode 539 of ''WebVideo/StampysLovelyWorld'', "Helicopter", Stampy builds a personal helicopter. Two episodes later, he crashes it [[spoiler:and is captured because he gets shot down with an AntiAir cannon built by his ArchEnemy.]]

[[folder:Web Video]]
* ''WebVideo/HalfLifeButTheAIIsSelfAware'': Gordon and the science team eventually come across the MechanicalAbomination that is the Helicopter Heap, created by a freak map glitch and consisting of multiple helicopters blended together into something that can somehow fly. Oh, and each helicopter ''Plays its sound individually,'' to the point that the youtube highlights include an [[HellIsThatNoise onscreen warning]] before we get to hear it.
-->'''Bubby:''' I hear [God usually does have a plan.] I don't think regenerating helicopters was in it.
[[/folder]]

* Happens ''many'' times in ''Film/DWar'' due to the helicopters belonging to the RedshirtArmy, though their exploding is mostly due to the pilots' incompetence tather than outside forces.

* At the end of the first act of ''Police Story 4: First Strike'', Jackie grabs onto a helicopter, only for it to get blown up by an RPG.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3'' uses this as a cruel HopeSpot prior to the first mandatory battle against Nemesis. The titular creature demonstrates his terrifying intelligence by shooting the helicopter down with a rocket launcher, prior to attacking Jill in the courtyard.

* ''Film/{{Cloverfield}}'': Towards the very end of the movie [[spoiler:the main characters are escaping in a helicopter which is knocked out of the air by the monster. [[HopeSpot They survive the crash]], only to die either from being killed by the monster, or in the ensuing [[DeathFromAbove military air strike]]. Makes for a real [[IncrediblyLamePun Downer]] [[DownerEnding Ending]].]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAssaultOnArkham'', the Joker and Deadshot end up fighting over a helicopter (which [[ConflictBall would have been perfectly adequate for all the villains if they'd been willing to share]]) while Harley Quinn (who has no idea what she's doing) pilots the thing. Naturally, they end up crashing into a building. Though the chopper doesn't actually blow up until it (eventually) falls off the building and smashes into the street below.

Watch enough action movies, and you soon realize that the only thing more dangerous than being on a helicopter is wearing a [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries V-neck]] RedShirt or being the [[DeathBySex slutty girl]] in a ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' movie. They've been described as 50,000 parts flying in close formation.

* In fact, ''most'' video games. If said chopper ride starts off the game, don't expect it to last long.

* In Episode 539 of ''[[WebVideo/StampysLovelyWorld Stampy's Lovely World]]'', "Helicopter", Stampy builds a personal helicopter. Two episodes later, he crashes it. [[spoiler:It was not an accident. [[DownerEnding Let's just leave it at that.]]]]

** In the ActionPrologue of ''Film/AViewToAKill'' it's a Soviet military helicopter armed with gatling-type cannon. Bond launches a flare into the cockpit, causing it to fill with smoke and crash into an iceberg.

* In the ActionPrologue of ''Film/AViewToAKill'' it's a Soviet military helicopter armed with gatling-type cannon. Bond launches a flare into the cockpit, causing it to fill with smoke and crash into an iceberg.

** The Eurocopter Tiger in ''Film/GoldenEye''. The villains trap Bond and Natalya Simonova in it and have its own missiles fired at itself, while it's on the ground. Bond manages to save himself and Natalya by pushing the EjectionSeat button with his head just before the missiles hit.

* Subject of a brief gag in the Cuban ZombieApocalypse film ''Film/JuanOfTheDead'': The heroes see a helicopter flying in, one of them hopes it will rescue them, and the chopper immediately plows into the side of a building.

* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': At the end of the first campaign, "No Mercy", the survivors get on a helicopter to escape a hospital rooftop. All seems fine, until the pilot turns into a zombie, forcing Zoey to shoot him, whereupon it crash lands in the industrial county seen in "Crash Course". The the exact same thing happens in the sequel at the end of "Dark Carnival": the helicopter pilot turns mid-flight, Nick shoots him dead, and the unmanned helicopter crashes at the entrance to the marshland where "Swamp Fever" takes place.

* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': At the end of the first level, the survivors get on a helicopter and all seems fine, until the pilot turns into a zombie, forcing the survivors to shoot them, forcing the chopper to crash. Pretty much the the exact same thing happens in the sequel.
* ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'' has either Alex shooting things at the helicopter to take it down (which includes [[GrievousHarmWithABody people]]), or him ''flying'' to the chopper, ripping it up to remove the pilot (if not invading and [[IAmAHumanitarian devouring him]]), and hijacking the thing. [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Crashing it later is optional.]]
** Alternately, you can just [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/6/19/ jumpkick the chopper out of the air.]]

* Many, many helicopters meet their demise in the VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto series.

* Whenever a helicopter appears in any of the ''[[VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon FEAR]]'' games, it is almost certain to go down. It gets especially brutal by the third game in the series, where Alma's [[PersonOfMassDestruction "contractions"]] are accompanied by massive red pulses of energy that swat helicopters out of sky, rip apart the earth, and knock over buildings. The only point in the entire series where a helicopter didn't get shot down or otherwise savaged by enemy fire was the intro to the first game's second level, and the ending to the ''Perseus Mandate'' expansion.

* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'': Under the original rules, {=VTOLs=} were horrifically fragile units that tended to die horribly the first time they got shot. Under the current rules, they're still horrifically fragile units but they tend to die after being shot two or three times.